Thursday, February 1, 2007

The Water Cube

I am totally in love with the Beijing National Aquatics Center, one of the venues of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. A little excerpt from Wikipedia: "The entire structure is based on a unique lightweight construction and derived from the the structure of water in the state of aggregation of foam. Behind the apparently random appearance hides a strict geometry as can be found in natural systems like crystals, cells and molecular structures. By applying a novel material and technology, the transparency and the apparent randomness is transposed into the inner and outer skins of ETFE cushions. Unlike traditional stadium structures with gigantic columns, beams, cables and backspans, to which a façade system is applied, in the Water Cube the architectural space, structure and façade are one and the same element. Conceptually, the square box and the interior spaces are carved out of an undefined cluster of foam bubbles, symbolizing a condition of nature that is transformed into a condition of culture."